Choctaw Nation
Katy Pickens
TVSHKA HOMMA, Okla. – Hundreds of Choctaw tribal members and friends gathered Saturday, June 1 at the Choctaw Capitol Grounds to honor those affected nearly 200 years ago by the Indian Removal Act. The commemorative 2.5-mile Trail of Tears Walk was only a fraction in comparison to some 700 miles covered by foot in the 1830s when Choctaws were removed from their homelands in Mississippi and Alabama.
People of all ages gathered near the Chapel where the commemorative walk would begin.
“Today is a solemn day as we recall the events that took place all those years ago, but it is also a day of celebration,” Chief Gary Batton said in his address to the crowd. “All those sacrifices; that tushka, or warrior spirit, that our ancestors had; their hope and faith for a better day is why we are able to have this event.”
Chief Batton followed his address by beginning the walk with a special moment of silence and the ringing of a bell. The bell rung has an impactful history of its own. Originally hung in the Tuskahoma Female Institute, which opened in 1892. It was purchased for $3.50 by three women in 1926 after the institute burned down. The bell rang at Tuskahoma First Baptist Church until 2018, when it was donated back to the Choctaw Nation.